The Cat and the Fox
by sadsally514
Summary: Natalia Bennet, maid to Elizabeth Midford, is in a bit of a situation. She's a 14 year old girl with no family, nowhere to go, and nothing to look forward to. To make it even worse, lets add in a demoness who's after her soul, an odd sort of rivalry bordering on friendship with her employers fiance, and a determination to survive that's often challenged. What could go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

Natalia Bennet was dying.

An odd way to start off the story, but the best place nonetheless.

Everything else aside, Natalia Thornton was lying in a pool of her own blood, a gash on the back of her neck, and very obviously dying. The only thing keeping her alive was sheer willpower, but even that was starting to fade away. Her thoughts were leaving her as her mind grew clouded. She couldn't think straight- no, at this point, she couldn't quite think at all. She could feel her resolve fading away, as a comforting darkness tempted her. But a shrill laugh just above her head reminded her that she couldn't go quite yet. She couldn't! She had to defeat this thing, this, this… monster! This demon!

The creature above her laughed again, obviously amused by Natalia's state. The dying girl wanted to do anything, anything at all! But she couldn't! All she could do was weakly move her hand, trying to reach the laughing woman's leg, but she couldn't even do that once a high-heeled foot crushed her pale palm. Natalia was too numb to even wince.

The woman above her still laughed, and laughed, and laughed…

Natalia couldn't scream. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move as the demoness knelt down beside her. The woman smirked. "Aw, come on! Giving up already?" She asked. She lifted up Natalia's chin, and guided the girls face up close to hers. "Or is there still a spark in those eyes?" The demoness tilted Natalia's head to each side before faking a pouty face. "Was I wrong then? Or do you wish to prolong your miserable existence? Just say the word."

The demoness tapped the gash on Natalia's neck.

"Ahhhrgh… Iahhhh…."

Incoherent noises spilled from Natalia's mouth as the demoness smiled sweetly. "What is it?"

"I… I waaahnnnn… oooo…"

Natalia could feel herself fading, but she was beginning to feel too numb to panic accordingly. With her final breath, she uttered one word:

"Live."

She passed out, her breathing shallow and quick. Her pulse was growing weaker by the moment, but the demoness just smiled once again.

"And live you shall… _mistress…"_

* * *

"Don't worry Lord Phantomhive, we'll see to it that she is returned home safely," Natalia said, giving a slight nod towards the bluenette boy.

Ciel nodded in return. "Of course," He said, before walking away. Natalia winced. _Cold as ice, like always…_

She sighed, and climbed into the carriage with Lady Elizabeth, who was sound asleep with a soft smile on her face. Natalia smiled at her mistress before a familiar chuckle made her frown.

"Aw, are you glad to have your mistress home?" The blonde woman across from her said. Said woman was gorgeous, light blonde hair swept back out of her face, in perfect waves down her back. Her lips were naturally red, and her eyes were a dark stormy blue, almost gray.

Natalia hated this woman with her whole entire being.

She stiffened. "I am merely glad that she enjoyed herself. Is there anything wrong with that Chienne?" She asked, her voice oddly clipped.

Chienne Renard, or as she was called, laughed. "Oh, nothing. It's just odd to see you smile," She responded.

Natalia rolled her eyes. She had been working for Lady Elizabeth for a little over two years by this point, and had grown accustomed to the girl's wild, yet sweet, nature, and she had grown to enjoy it as well. Lady Elizabeth was kind to her, and treated her as a friend rather than a servant. How she could put up with her stoic fiance was beyond Natalia.

Chienne sighed and looked out the window. "I don't why you bother to work for this puny brat. I could give you anything you wanted…" The blonde woman mumbled.

Natalia frowned. "I don't want anything from you," she said curtly, before turning her head out the opposite window. "Why you keep insisting we try to take over the Midford household is beyond me… like we could, even if I wanted to. Which I don't."

Chienne sighed once more. "If you say so. But remember…"

She leaned over to Natalia so she could whisper in her ear. "You give the order, I give you it all… anything you could want is in your reach…"

Natalia swatted the woman away. "Like I said before, no. I want nothing from you."

Chienne laughed, and retreated towards the opposite side of the coach. "If you say so… _mistress."_

Natalia shuddered. "Don't. Just… just don't…" She mumbled.

"Oh? Is that-"

"That's an order."

A shiver ran down Chienne's spine as her mistress said those three words.

"Of course…"

A low grumbling noise escaped Natalia's lips as she recalled what had led Chienne to being her maid.

The demoness, after slaughtering Natalia's family, had closed in on Natalia, but sensing resistance from her, chose instead to make a contract, so she could break Natalia's soul. But luckily for Natalia, the girl hadn't been broken yet. Scarred, terrified, and humiliated, yes, but broken? Not yet, and not ever.

Several times the blonde demoness had offered to help Natalia, to improve her social status, her rank in society. But Natalia had refused, instead choosing to try to find work with Chienne. Meeting Lady Elizabeth had been a blessing. The bubbly blonde had immediately taken a liking to Natalia, claiming that she was "just too cute, even though she was a tad bit filthy". One thing led to another, and soon, 14 year old Natalia had secured a job. Unfortunately, Chienne had worked her way into one as well, so she could keep an eye on her true mistress.

Natalia felt rage bubble up inside her. She would live. She would live, and one day, she would kill Chienne.

 _That is my promise._

* * *

 _Hello there!_

So, how'd you like it? Just figured that I'd state that I don't own Kuroshitsuji, and thanks for reading, and yadda yadda yadda. All that stuff people say in AN's. But seriously, thanks for reading! Readers! Yay~!

So, this chapter takes place in that episode in season one where you first meet Lizzy. Gosh, even though some people hate her, I've always liked Lizzy. But what do you guys think of Natalia? Chienne? (Oh, and if you want to know why she has such an odd name, type in her full name, Chienne Renard, to google translate. It's french, btw.)

So, thanks again for reading this first chapter! Yay~! I'll try to update soon!

\- Sadsally514


	2. Chapter 2

"Natalia! Which do you think is cuter, the light pink, or the dark pink?" Elizabeth asked, holding up the two dresses.

"The darker pink, mistress," Natalia responded. "It contrasts well with your light hair and skin, and looks nice with your eyes."

Elizabeth threw the lighter dress on to her bed, before hugging the other one to her chest and twirling. She stopped to look at Natalia with a wide smile. "Oh, Natalia, you always know what to say! You're so amazing!" The smile disappeared from the blonde's face. "But I keep on telling you to call me Lizzy!"

Natalia did a slight curtsy. "My apologies, Lizzy," she said with a smile. The blond's stubbornness about her name never failed to amuse her.

Elizabeth flashed a triumphant smile, before clapping her hands in delight. "Oh, we have to get you dressed up as well!" She exclaimed.

"Wh-what? I'm not coming, am I?" Natalia asked, taking a step back.

Elizabeth giggled. "Of course you are, silly!" She squealed, taking Natali's hands in hers. "It wouldn't be as fun without you!"

Smiling weakly, Natalia let out a soft sigh. "You're praise flatters me, Lizzy," she said. "But you don't have to-"

"Oh, it's just for one night! I'll lend you a dress, and do your hair! You'll even lovelier the you are right now when I'm done with you" The blonde exclaimed, starting to rummage through her closet.

Natalia sighed again. There was no turning back now…

* * *

Soon, instead of her normal maid uniform, which consisted of a maroon dress and a tan apron, Natalia wore a sage green dress that matched her eyes. The dress showed just a bit of shoulder, and hung down to her ankles. The fabric was gathered in some places, making the dress look poofier, and overall, nicer. Natalia did a slight twirl, and smiled when she saw how the skirt fanned out.

Beside her, Elizabeth squealed. "Oh, you are so cute!" she chirped. "Now lets just do your hair…" The blonde reached out to pull up Natalia's dark brown hair, but a shaking hand stopped her. Natalia took a few steps back and smiled nervously.

"W-we can't just keep it down? I mean, maybe we could curl it or something…" Natalia stammered, placing her hand over the back of her neck.

"It would so much cuter up though!" Elizabeth said, before reaching out again.

Once more, Natalia stepped back. 'Er, um…" She sighed. "I actually have a rather large scar on the back of my neck… I'd hate for anyone to see it…" Her words actually held a bit of truth to them. Although it wasn't a scar in the usual sense, it was still there, and ugly, and very noticeable. If anyone saw it… she shivered. "Please…"

Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks. Natalia had a scar? Since when? Had she always had it? If she had kept it secret, then she must've not wanted anyone to find out. "Oh… I'm sorry…" Elizabeth said, her eyes wide. "Here, we can just brush it out real nice…" Elizabeth went to go get a brush.

Natalia breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, Lizzy," She said. Her smile faltered and died, however, when she saw Chienne standing in the doorway, smirking.

Realizing that she had been noticed, Chienne walked into the room. "That was smart thinking, Natalia," The demoness said, her eyes flashing red for a brief second.

Natalia frowned. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't of needed to come up with an excuse at all," She hissed.

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be alive right now."

"Only because you would've killed me!"

Chienne chuckled. "That is true…" she muttered.

Natalia opened her mouth to respond, but was cut short when she heard Elizabeth enter the room. She looked at Elizabeth, and then back at Chienne, only to discover that the demoness had already left the room.

"Got the brush!" Elizabeth said, smiling. But her smile disappeared when she noticed that Natalia was shaking. "Er… Natalia? Are you okay?"

Natalia snapped out of her little trance, and looked over at Elizabeth. "Yes…" She said. She could tell Elizabeth didn't buy it, but she was glad her mistress didn't pursue the topic any further.

* * *

Soon, Natalia was sitting in a fast carriage, next to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was rambling on and on about the party, about how it would be the biggest of the social season, and how excited she was, and how disappointed she was that Ciel couldn't come.

"He's never really been one for parties anyway, though," The blonde said with a small sigh.

"He should at least come for you though," Natalia said frowning. "He's always so cold…"

"He didn't used to be like that," Elizabeth murmured. "He used to be so happy… but then, there was a fire… his mother and father died, and he disappeared… but then he came back with Sebastian, and he's never been the same ever since."

Natalia nodded. "He has been through a lot… and no one even knows what happened to him when he disappeared?"

"No. Ciel won't tell anyone…" Elizabeth sighed. "I always try to make him happy… to see his smile again, to hear him laugh again… it's all I want. But I might overdo it sometimes…"

Elizabeth looked on the verge of tears. "H-hey! Don't worry Lizzy!" Natalia chirped. "I'm sure Ciel appreciates it deep down, and that he loves you! He did dance with you, didn't he?"

"He danced with me, even after I broke his ring…" Elizabeth sniffled.

"N-no! Oh, Lizzy…" Natalia sighed. "I'm sure he still loves you… everyone overreacts sometimes. I'm sure he's fine now. He doesn't seem to be the type of person who would dwell on something like this for too long."

Elizabeth sniffed, and wiped at her eyes. "Really?"

"Really. Now, cheer up! Like you said, we're going to the party of the season!" Natalia said.

Elizabeth smiled weakly. "Yes, you are right. Thank you, Natalia," She said, squeezing her maids hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you. It's practically a crime for a lady to show up to a party in tears!"

Natalia gave a light laugh. "Of course."

After that moment of tears and smiles, Elizabeth continued to talk about the party. How she was excited to see the dresses, the people, and how she really hoped she'd get a chance to dance. Ciel, however, wasn't mentioned again. Natalia tuned in and out of Elizabeth's ramblings, until a certain blonde demoness was brought up.

"So, you and Chienne are really good friends, right?" Elizabeth asked.

"What gave you that idea?" Natalia asked, taken aback by the question.

Elizabeth shrugged. "Well, you two are always close together, and when I brought you in, she was with you," The blonde remarked. "Am I wrong?"

"Er… honestly, I'm not really the biggest fan of Chienne," Natalia chuckled. "She's kinda… well, she's taken an interest to me, and hasn't left me alone since." The brunette rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh. I thought you two were friends…" Elizabeth said before smiling. "But you and I have really gotten to know each other tonight, huh?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Natalia said.

Elizabeth giggled before looking out the window. "Oh, look! We're here!" She squealed, struggling to open the carriage door. After the excited blonde finally managed to exit the vehicle, Natalia followed, and let out a low whistle.

"Would you look at that…" She said, awestruck. The mansion was lit up, looking like a heavenly palace. Several people were mingling just outside, all wearing lovely dresses and suits. It was like a dream to Natalia.

Elizabeth was already rushing towards the entrance, leaving Natalia behind to gaze in awe at the sight before her. "Natalia! Come on!" She squealed back at the girl. Natalia shook her head, and rushed forwards to catch up.

She could tell that tonight was going to be a very memorable night.

* * *

 **Hello again!**

 **Number two! YAY! I was originally going to write more, but I'll save it for the next chapter, because I just really want to post this. So, uh... yeah. Thats it. I can't dye my hair pink because my hair is too dark.**

 **Darn it.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and have a lovely day! Feel free- no, please review! Bye-bye~!**


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